Russia's Civil War (2nd edition)

Swain, G. (2008) Russia's Civil War (2nd edition). The History Press: Stroud. ISBN 9780752446738

Abstract

It must never be forgotten that in the Russian revolutionary wars there were three parties in the struggle – the Reds, the Whites and the People – and as much as the populace detested the Red regime in its earliest form, they came, during the revolutionary wars, to regard the Whites with even greater repugnance.” This verdict by the feted British agent Sir Paul Dukes acts as the theme of this short history of the Russian civil war. The book shows how, after the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917, the war began as an attempt by moderate socialists, the Socialist Revolutionaries, to claim the victory they had won in Russia’s first democratic elections of January 1918, an election result which the Bolsheviks refused to acknowledge. Thus the first phase of Russia’s civil war was between communists and moderated socialists. This changed in November 1918 when power in the anti-Bolshevik camp was seized by the military and the war became a struggle between White generals backed by the old pre-revolutionary elites, and the revolutionaries, led by the Bolsheviks but now supported by many SRs. This Bolshevik-SR alliance was unstable, with various “Green” forces at times fighting alongside the Bolshevik Reds and at times fighting against them. Once the Whites had been defeated, the Reds faced repeated outbreaks of “Green” rebellion before they were able to secure control of the country.

• Item Type: Books
• Keywords: Soviet Union, history, revolution 19171-1921, revolution allied intervention 1918-1920
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Swain, Professor Geoffrey
• Authors: Swain, G.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DK Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
• Publisher: The History Press
• ISBN: 9780752446738

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